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This book covers the period which saw Athens rise to the peak of its fame and reputation because of the city’s role in the defeat of two Persian invasions, but also fall to defeat, first against Sparta during the Peloponnesian War and then against the rising power of Macedonia. This was thus a period in which Athens was a major military power for the first half, and a declining power in the second, although her military power wasn’t finally broken until the Lamian War of 323-322 BC, a failed attempt to break away from Macedonia after the death of Alexander the Great.
What most stands out is the variety of troop types fielded by Athens during this period. Conventional accounts tend to focus on the hoplites, but here we also see cavalry, mounted archers and various light troops, mainly provided by Athenians in various ways. The focus on the hoplite in contemporary sources does mean we have more details about them, but Xenophon provides good details on the cavalry of his period. The author sticks to contemporary sources – texts, artwork and archaeology – rather than using the mass of modern works, and also comments when he differs from the standard view.
The book moves away from just examining the armour and equipment of the Athenian army but also covers its organisation, and how that was reflected in the organisation of the city state, with the artificially created tribes each providing their own units, and sometimes their own commanders, and how the structure changed to reflect different threats or requirements, from the all-out effort needed against the Persians to the split forces needed during the longer Peloponnesian Wars.
One notable feature of the Athenian system is how robust it was. In the middle of this period Athens lost a massive army in Sicily, and the Great Peloponnesian War ended with the city walls destroyed and Sparta dominant. However Athens was able to recover from these setbacks, and it was only the rise of Macedonia that finally ended that – Athens, with a probably citizen population of 20,000, was a major player in the world of the Greek city states, but a minor player after the rise of the powerful city states.
This is a useful overview of one of the army of one of the most important players in the ancient Greek world, and a valuable reminder that Athens was more than just a hoplite army.
Chapters
Introduction
The Reforms of Cleisthenes
The Persian Wars
Liability for Military Service
Early Athenian Cavalry
The Peloponnesian War
Athenian Forces 404-362
From Mantineia to Chaeronea (363-338)
The Administration of Lycurgus
Author: Nicholas Sekunda
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 64
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2025